Once upon a time a front-wheel drive BMW was unthinkable. The 2 Series, a mini people carrier, broke the mould and hasn’t suffered from it.
Now BMW’s doing more than just dipping a toe in the front-wheel drive water. The all-new version of the mass market 1 Series is ditching the rear-wheel drive layout it has used ever since the original version was launched in 2004.
Available only as a five-door this time, it’s both wider and taller than the car it replaces, although it’s slightly shorter in length and has less space between its front and rear wheels.
What does that translate to for passengers? There’s more room for heads, knees and elbows in the back, and more space in the boot too. Indeed, at 380 litres, the boot is bigger than an A3 or A-Class’s and matches that of the best-selling Volkswagen Golf. An electric tailgate is also available for the first time.
The new model incorporates a slew of design elements from BMW’s most recent models. These include the vast kidney grille that first appeared on the 8 Series last year, angular LED headlights and a flowing bonnet similar to that featured on the new 3 Series saloon.
Inside, a digital touchscreen operates most systems. Unlike Audi, BMW hasn’t ditched its superbly intuitive iDrive rotary wheel, which is much easier than a touchscreen to operate on the move.
Five engine options will be offered at launch – two petrol and three diesel – with a plug-in hybrid joining the range later, though not until 2021.
The entry level 1.5 petrol model has 138bhp, while the 116d, 118d and 120d offer 114, 148 and 188bhp respectively. At the top of the tree is the 135i petrol model, featuring a 302bhp, 2.0 litre engine.
Prices for the 1 Series start from £24,430, which is a slight increase on today’s five-door 1 Series, and it goes on sale in September.